Carnival Valentine
by RobertDowneyJrLove
Summary: A late Valentine's Day Story but it was a special request by TheOnceAnonymous14, so here it is :


Carnival Valentine

Sandy Wu smiled as she opened the door and let her daughter's best friend and boyfriend into the house. He was dressed casually in a navy blue button down, dark jeans, his leather jacket and the cross he always wore around his neck. He had obviously put a lot of thought into his Valentine's day gift for Melissa because in his hand he held a dozen pure white roses mixed with half a dozen purple orchids. It was a beautiful combination and one she knew her daughter would love.

"She's still asleep, go on up." Sandy motioned to the stairs as she closed the door behind him.

He nodded and made his way up the stairs and into his best friend's purple and teal room. He chuckled when he found her laying on her stomach, covers only pulled up to her waist and her hands shoved under head, arms wrapped around the pillow. Her hair was a messy ponytail, the fan that she couldn't get to sleep without blew cool air across her shoulders and all he could think about was how adorable she looked. He kneeled down in front of the bed and set the flowers at her feet, before he started trying to wake her up.

"Melissa..." He sang into her ear, rubbing her back. "Sweetheart, time to wake up...wake up, beautiful...it's Valentine's day, beautiful."

She groaned and reluctantly let her eyes slide open, "Jackson?"

"Hey Sweetheart," He whispered tenderly, brushing a tendril of hair from her eyes. "Happy Valentine's Day."

He grinned as he reached down and grabbed the flowers, bringing them within her line of vision, blurry and sleepy though it may have been. She smiled when she saw the white roses and purple orchids, a combination that only Jackson would know she liked. She slowly sat up and turned over so that she was leaning against the headboard.

"They're beautiful!" Melissa smiled as he handed her the flowers and sat down on the bed beside her, "Thank you!"

He leaned forward and quickly kissed her before pulling away, "That's only part one. The second part is breakfast, so get up, get dressed in something comfortable and warm-it's cold out. And then part three is a surprise."

Melissa laughed as she shoved the blankets off of her legs and scrambled out of bed, hurrying over to her closet. She tossed him a playful grin over her shoulder as she grabbed some clothes and rushed into her bathroom, silky black curls flying behind her. He laughed as he picked up the flowers and carried them downstairs to have her mom put them in a vase.

"Did you get her up?" Sandy asked him as he walked into the kitchen.

"Yea," Jackson nodded, laying the flowers on the counter. "I was wondering if you could put them in water, she's upstairs getting dressed."

"Sure," Sandy nodded as she set her coffee mug down and reached for the flowers.

"Okay, here I am." Melissa laughed, walking down the stairs.

Her dark jeans accentuated her petite hips, her dark purple top with the deep v-neck allowed part of her lacy black camisole to peek out; the ruffled sleeves hung loosely off of her shoulders, accentuating her small arms. The simple silver necklace with the diamond heart pendant added the perfect touch along with the silver charm bracelet that he had given her for her birthday. Her ebony curls were pulled up into a long ponytail.

"That's my jacket, thief!" Jackson chuckled tugging on the soft black jacket.

"It's been claimed-you said comfortable and warm, this is the most comfortable jacket I own, and the warmest." Melissa grinned cheekily.

"You-" He mumbled wrapping his arms around her, as he leaned down to kiss her, "-are still a thief."

"You love me though." Melissa mumbled before she pulled him down to crash her lips against his.

"You're right, I do love you." Jackson chuckled pulling away, "Which is why if we're going to get anything done besides an excessive amount of kissing, we've really got to go."

Melissa laughed as she waved goodbye to her Mom and let Jackson lead her to his car. The smoky black Mustang with the hood scoop, v-8 and a turbo engine was a very special present from Jackson's father and was very special to Jackson.

"You know-" Melissa chuckled, looking over at Jackson as he started the car. "-sometimes I think you love the car more than me."

"Okay now you're just being ridiculous." Jackson laughed as he twisted around to see out of the back window to back out of the driveway. He rested his hand on her seat and shot her a playful, teasing grin before he resumed backing out.

"Hmm, you look sexy when you're playful." Melissa grinned slyly, already knowing that the would earn her a loud groan.

"Jesus, Melissa!" Jackson groaned as he nearly crashed the car into the mailbox across the street, "You're seriously trying to get us both killed!"

"Well it wasn't my original intention," Melissa smiled innocently, "My original intention was to see if I could get a groan out of you. I succeeded."

"You are a little minx." Jackson growled playfully as he shifted gears and started down the street.

Melissa giggled as she settled into the seat and played with the radio, only to press CD and wait for the first track to blast through the speakers. The familiar sound of Nickelback's Far Away blasted through the speakers. She turned it down as Jackson's deep voice mixed with the grovelly voice of Chad Kroeger.

"This time, this place, misused, misplaced..." Jackson absently sang the lyrics he knew almost by heart.

As he turned out of the neighborhood and caught Melissa's eye, he grinned and reached over to grab her hand. She looked natural sitting in the passenger seat of his dark car, her head leaning against the back of the seat as she listened to him harmonize with Chad Kroeger.

xxxx

The restaurant was just on the outskirts of town, a little restaurant tucked into a few pine trees. The restaurant was neatly decorated with vintage coke signs, an old jukebox that sat in the corner, playing an old song for anyone who had a couple of quarters and a love of old songs, and a few black and white pictures of what the restaurant used to look like. Painted in cool shades of pink and blue, the restaurant looked like a 50's diner and was a mutual favorite of both Jackson and Melissa.

"C'mon." Jackson smiled as he led her in, his arm wrapped comfortably around her back. "I already reserved our booth."

"Well don't I feel special!" Melissa smiled playfully as he led her into the restaurant.

"You are special," Jackson whispered, kissing her head affectionately. "To me at least."

Melissa smiled as he opened the door to the restaurant and pressed his hand into the small of her back as she walked in. He led her to their booth and motioned for her to sit down. Once he sat down, she easily slid around the U-shaped booth and tucked herself into his side as his hand settled on her back.

"God, I love you." He mumbled into her hair as he repeatedly kissed her head.

"As it would happen," Melissa smiled looking up at him, "I love you too."

He leaned down and connected his lips with hers. He instinctively pulled her closer and cradled the back of her head in his free hand as she pressed a hand to his cheek. They were both breathless when they pulled away and her cheeks were flushed a dark red.

"Hi my name is Catherine, I'll be your waitress today, are you ready to order?" A cheerful red-head asked them a few minutes later.

"Chocolate chip pancakes and a coke for the lady, and I'll have the Belgian waffles, extra strawberries and a coke." Jackson told her, ordering for both himself and Melissa.

Catherine nodded as she wrote down the order, "Anything else?"

Jackson looked down at the petite Asian tucked into his side and laughed at the pout on her face. "And whipped cream on the pancakes."

Catherine smiled and wrote down the addition to the order before smiling at them, "Your order will be ready in a few minutes."

"Thank you." Jackson nodded before turning back to Melissa. "You have a problem."

"I don't see having a sweet tooth as being a problem." Melissa shrugged innocently, "I don't know, personally I like it."

"Hmm, the strawberries and whipped cream do taste better coming from you." Jackson chuckled as he pressed his lips to hers in a soft, lingering kiss. She tilted her head and opened her mouth, drawing him in from the soft, lingering kiss it had been to a deeper, more passionate kiss.

"Hmm." Melissa half hummed, half whimpered into his mouth as he pulled away from the kiss. She pouted adorably as she looked up at him and quipped, "Mean."

"I promise, I'll make it up to you." He whispered in her ear, his lips just barely brushing the outer shell. "Later, against the car."

Jackson smirked as he watched her close her eyes and turn her head to bury it in his shoulder. She loved when he trapped her against the car to kiss her; she found it aggresive and sexy. He gently pushed her away when the waitress brought out their order. Melissa reached for a strawberry, dipped it into the whipped cream before biting off part of it.

They bickered and bantered as they ate breakfast and Melissa stole his strawberries. After they were done, Jackson paid and led her out to the car. Just as she was about to get in, Jackson slammed the door and pressed her up against the car.

"I promised I would make it up to you." Jackson whispered before crushing his lips against his in a passionate, bruising kiss. His hand went to the back of her neck as she gripped his leather jacket, absently pulling him closer. She could feel him gripping her hip in his other hand as they made out against his car.

"Hmm." Melissa whimpered as he pulled away. He was just about to pull away completely when she yanked him back by his jacket and kissed him harder. He pressed her into the cold metal of the car as they resumed their passionate make-out session.

"Melissa," Jackson groaned pulling away, "We have to go-part three. This is our first Valentine's day together and I want to make sure you enjoy it."

"I was...until you pulled away!" Melissa pouted childishly.

"I'll make it up to you-again! Now please get in the car before I start something I can't finish." Jackson whispered reaching around her to open the car door. He watched her get in and buckle up before slamming the door and making his way to the other side to get in the car. He reached over and grabbed her hand, bringing it up to his lips to kiss the back of it. "Mel?"

"What?" Melissa asked, unintentionally harsh as she stared out of the window.

"Aww c'mon, sweetheart, don't be like that. You know I love kissing you, but doing it against the car in a public place is just asking for trouble." He told her, kissing her hand. He reached over and gently brushed her cheek with his knuckles, "Hey, look at me, sweetheart."

She looked at him, "What?"

"I can't make this a good Valentine's day if you cry." He laughed wiping away the tears, streaming down her cheeks. "Baby, I'm sorry if it seemed like I was rejecting you, but I wasn't. Sweetheart, kissing in front of a public place is never a good idea, especially when having you against the car gives me a clear view down your shirt!"

"Perv!" Melissa grinned reaching over to playfully slap him on the arm.

"That's much better." Jackson chuckled as he turned to start the car. "Now onto part three-which will take up the rest of the day."

xxxx

The drive to the little carnival took an hour and in that time, Melissa had fallen asleep and Jackson had been thinking. His best friend had been struggling to come to terms with the death of her brother, Tyler Wu and seemed to need as close as to him as she could get. She was sensitive, sometimes irritable and sometimes it was all he could do not to just break her down and force her to face the emotions she obviously struggled with. As he pulled into the little carnival that was packed despite it being ten in the morning and fifty degrees out, he looked over at his best friend.

"Melissa, wake up, sweetheart." Jackson whispered reaching over to her to wake her up. "Wake up, baby."

Melissa sighed as she let her eyes slide open and let Jackson unbuckle her. He got out of the car and walked around to help her out of the car. As she got out of the car and managed to register where exactly they were, her eyes lit up and a wide grin pulled at her mouth.

"Welcome to the only day carnival, this side of L.A." He chuckled as he led her to the gate. He paid for tickets and led her into the carnival. The place was packed with various booths and concession stands, vendors and people rushing around buying various carnival treats. The rides mainly consisted of a ferris wheel and a small airplane for the kids. "Where to first?"

"Think you can knock some coke bottles down?" Melissa looked up at him, a playful grin on her face.

"Aren't the three hundred teddy bears you have at home proof that I can?" Jackson rolled his eyes playfully.

"A girl can always do with another teddy bear." Melissa grinned slyly as he wrapped his arm around her and led her over to the booth. He handed the man a dollar bill, took the baseball and tossed them at the glass coke bottles. The bottles fell with a sickening shatter as he moved over to try again. Once again, the bottles fell with a sickening shatter.

"Pick your prize!" The vendor told him enthusiastically.

"What do you want, sweetheart?" Jackson asked Melissa, looking down at the girl.

"Pink and blue panda." Melissa told the vendor.

The vendor nodded and retrieved the pink and blue panda for her. They walked away from the stand after Melissa had gotten her prize, and made their way to a different booth. She grinned as she pushed him in the photo booth and followed behind him. She paid the three dollars and pressed the button. Jackson laughed as he pulled her into his lap and rested his chin on her shoulder. After posing in various ways, one of which ended with them kissing, they got out and retrieved their pictures.

"I like that one." Jackson smiled pointing at the third picture.

Melissa smiled as she looked at the picture. She had been sitting in his lap with her legs thrown over one of his and had her head resting on his shoulder, her eyes were closed and her lips were set in a peaceful smile. He was looking down at her, a tender smile on his face. Anyone could tell from the picture that they were obviously very much in love despite their young age.

"I asked my Dad the other day if I was too young to fall in love," Melissa smiled as she looked up at him. "He told me no. He told me that falling in love doesn't happen at a certain age, it just happens. He said that he was in love with my mom by the time he was my age."

"Good," Jackson grinned spinning her into his arms, "Because I'm in love with you and I'd have to kill the person who tells me I'm too young."

Melissa chuckled as she looked up at him, her arms winding around his waist. "Really? I don't think you have it in you to kill someone."

"Let them tell me I'm too young to be in love with my best friend and I'll find it in myself." Jackson growled playfully, "Now c'mon beautiful, we've got the rest of the day to get through this entire carnival."

xxxx

It was almost ten before Jackson brought Melissa home. They had spent a few hours at the carnival, before going to eat lunch and driving around. They had ended up three hours of out of town, shopping and exploring. They had eaten dinner at a cute little Italian restaurant before Jackson decided they needed to get back. As he pulled into her driveway, an exhausted Melissa in the passenger seat, Jackson couldn't help the grin.

"Sweetheart," Jackson whispered looking over at her. "Hey baby, let's get you in bed."

He chuckled as he got out of the car and went around to get her around. After determining that she was too tired to keep herself upright-an incident which nearly ended with both of them on the ground after she had not so gracefully grabbed his jacket to keep from falling-he picked her up and carried her up to the house. Somehow-and he still isn't sure how-he managed to ring the doorbell. Sandy opened the door and chuckled when she saw her daughter sleeping peacefully in his arms.

"Aww, you wore her out." Sandy laughed as she gently stroked her daughter's hair.

"Jackson?" Melissa mumbled, barely opening her heavy brown eyes.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Jackson asked her softly.

"I love you." Melissa mumbled into his shoulder, her eyes already closing again as her breathing evened out.

"I love you too, baby." Jackson chuckled as he started toward the stairs.

He carried her upstairs and into her bedroom. He carefully laid her down on the bed before removing her shoes and pulling the blankets up over her. He watched as she relaxed into the mattress and settled into a deep, comfortable sleep. He kneeled down beside the bed and gently stroked her hair.

"Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart." Jackson whispered kissing her head as he slipped a velvet box out of his pocket and onto her nightstand. "I love you."

He made his way out of her room and down the stairs. Sandy was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, watching as he jogged down the stairs with a smile on his face.

"She's asleep." Jackson chuckled, "She'll be out for a while. I don't think she was expecting quite this much today."

"What did you do?" Sandy asked him softly.

"I took her out to breakfast and then we spent a few hours at the day carnival, then after lunch we ended up driving around for three hours. I took her shopping and out to dinner before I brought her home. She was so tired, I'm shocked she didn't fall asleep on the car-ride back." Jackson chuckled softly, "She was happy, that's all that really mattered."

Sandy nodded as she walked him to the door, "Thank you, for making her happy. It's been a long time since she let a guy show her what she meant to him."

Jackson smiled, "It's the least I could do."

"Go, it's late and you need to get home before it gets any later." Sandy laughed as she opened the door.

Jackson nodded and made his way to his car. As he pulled out of the driveway and started down the street, Sandy smiled as she thought about her daughter's best friend. Jackson, despite the brooding, tough exterior, had a soft spot when it came to Melissa and had been willing to spend all day with her just to see if he could make her happy.

xxxx

Melissa groaned as she opened her eyes, blinking against the blinding sunlight streaming through the window. She looked over at her alarm clock and noticed a black velvet box sitting on top of her purple alarm clock. She smiled as she grabbed the box and opened up, revealing a simple silver chain with a name plate. She read the inscription on the name plate.

_Jackson and Melissa _

She reached over and grabbed the phone, dialing a familiar number. As she waited for him to pick up, she stared at the necklace and giggled in delight. Jackson was the only one who could make her giggle like that over a simple necklace.

"Hey Sweetheart,"

She smiled as she fell back against her pillows and talked to her best friend and boyfriend. Their first Valentine's Day together had been one of the most interesting and one of the best Valentine's Day that she had ever had.

"I love you."

* * *

**TheOnceAnonymous14, this is for you, I hope you like it! **

**I know, it's not everyone's idea of a perfect Valentine's Day, but traditional wasn't what I had in mind. Jackson and Melissa's friendship wasn't one would call conventional so I figured why not make them an unconventional couple. I figured as long as they were together, they probably wouldn't care how they spent Valentine's day. Enjoy! **

**RobertDowneyJrLove**

**P.S. For all of the ladies, yes it is okay to drool over the sexy deliciousness that is Johnny Pacar. Drooling over a guy who could quite possibly be the sexiest thing to ever grace a television screen, is perfectly appropriate and required. **


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